Study: Many Women Prefer Gay Male Porn Because It's 'Authentic'

Research confirms that more than half of women who consume same-sex male pornography are watching it because they feel it is more authentic than other genres, according to a new study by London's Middlesex University.

"Male gays in the female gaze: Women who watch m/m pornography," by researcher Lucy Neville, drew research from a recent survey from adult film site PornHub.

Women appear at a physiological level to find gay male sex just as arousing as heterosexual sex, according to Neville's research. The study detailed in the book investigated why exactly women are aroused by watching male-on-male sex by surveying 275 self-identified women who watch gay male porn.

The sample included straight, bisexual, lesbian, queer, asexual, pansexual, and demisexual women; 68 percent of participants also watched heterosexual pornography, and 53 percent also watched lesbian pornography. However, 82 percent of participants preferred gay male pornography over other genres.

The overwhelming reason the women watched gay male porn was that they felt it was more authentic than other genres. "Respondents were more able to believe that both actors were enjoying the experience and that the sexual desire and pleasure between them, therefore, felt more 'authentic,'" according to the research.

Participants felt that because men on screen had very visual cues that indicated sexual desire such as erections and ejaculation, the actors "weren't faking it." They also felt male adult film stars as opposed to female performers were "enjoying each other more rather than simply playing to the camera."

The women also said that they felt they shared a more common gaze with the target audience as opposed to heterosexual and lesbian porn, which is predominantly made for heterosexual men, and they felt gay men's point of view was more in line with their personal preferences and desires.

By watching same-sex male porn, women also enjoyed that they could avoid seeing female bodies used as powerless sexual objects under the control of men. They perceived the rough sex in gay porn as more tasteful than behaviors displayed in heterosexual and lesbian porn, without it feeling "non-consensual."

Some also appreciated that they were not presented with a female porn star they would "be jealous of" or "subconsciously compare themselves to "causing them to feel "uncomfortable about their own bodies."

Other participants simply enjoyed the taboo of gay sex and the idea they would never experience what was happening on their laptops.